BTCC 2024 News & Rumours

[Matt_123]

Originally Posted by Craner Curves

Airbase kicking up a gear by rebranding to Alliance Racing UK. I wonder if many of the staff will relocate?

also i know we all saw this coming but Pete osbourne still owns it so Sam Osbourne is pretty much confirmed for the next million seasons

the btcc article does note that Pete is looking to expand - and theyve got 30000sqft HQ to play with. Maybe they are the ones going up to 6 cars?

[InYourMirrors45]

NAPA is defiantly the place to be at the moment, both on track and off track there really taking things to the next level from all aspects. Feels like there really leaving everyone else behind in that respect. Wouldn’t be surprised if we see Ash’s name on the trophy for next few seasons, they seemed to be by far the best funded team on the grid.

[billy bleach]

Originally Posted by InYourMirrors45

NAPA is defiantly the place to be at the moment, both on track and off track there really taking things to the next level from all aspects. Feels like there really leaving everyone else behind in that respect. Wouldn’t be surprised if we see Ash’s name on the trophy for next few seasons, they seemed to be by far the best funded team on the grid.

What makes them the best funded? WSR and Exceler8 seem pretty well set up. Money on its own doesn’t equal results Jaguar and Toyota in F1 proved that. My guess is Peter Osbourne ( successful businessman) may have just quietly gone about building a team of good people aswell as ok funding

[sceptic]

Originally Posted by coffinpilot

Indeed!
I think Halstead will stay - he's too invested in Crazy Carts to go elsewhere!

The second front is related to the Carts though. He's the only driver who has had the gumption to come in and try and change the social/digital aspect of the BTCC - it's a long, long, long way from being where it should be, but without him it wouldn't be were it is right now - which is a few steps forward from 12 months ago (which was the same as 12 years ago if I'm being slightly pedantic.)

The Carts thing was a reasonably good idea as a one off, but doing it every round is beginning to get monotonous.

...and he can't even get through one of those races without crashing.

[sceptic]

Originally Posted by kipper

Clearly there was a big leap between the late '80s and '90s. However, applying most figures regarding inflation, £4 in '99 equates to somewhere between £7-£8 now. In other words, in real terms, they haven't gone up much (and in some place, remain at about £5).

Of course, there is a separate debate regarding page counts, information within, etc.

I've just had a look at page counts for this year's programmes, following the suggestion that some are thinner than others.

Silverstone and all the MSV circuits have been 60 pages. Knockhill was 64 pages. Thruxton was the thinnest at just 52. I don't seem to have the Croft programme.

[thetool]

Originally Posted by sceptic

I've just had a look at page counts for this year's programmes, following the suggestion that some are thinner than others.

Silverstone and all the MSV circuits have been 60 pages. Knockhill was 64 pages. Thruxton was the thinnest at just 52. I don't seem to have the Croft programme.

Are they A5 these days? I seem to remember the last few I picked up were after being used to them being A4.

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by sceptic

The Carts thing was a reasonably good idea as a one off, but doing it every round is beginning to get monotonous.

...and he can't even get through one of those races without crashing.

Seems like it’d be good fun to actually watch at the track, but it’s hard to get much from it from a few photos posted on social media, especially when it’s mostly the same drivers every time. And as respectfully as possible, when it’s fronted by a backmarking and not-greatly-popular driver, it’s not really going to attract much attention.

It is nice to see things being tried though to show a less corporate side of the drivers!

[Matt K]

Originally Posted by Matt_123

also i know we all saw this coming but Pete osbourne still owns it so Sam Osbourne is pretty much confirmed for the next million seasons

It's not that bad though. Sam is doing a pretty decent job, the likes of Halstead or Hamilton could only dream of such results. And at the same time, other than him, NAPA has the best driver in the field, a once runner up (one might say almost-champion) and a race winner with some podiums to his name. Not bad, is it? Compare that to Excelr8, for instance or One Motorsport.

[Mike Harte]

I have a sneaky feeling that BTC will return next year replacing One Motorsport.

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by Matt K

It's not that bad though. Sam is doing a pretty decent job, the likes of Halstead or Hamilton could only dream of such results. And at the same time, other than him, NAPA has the best driver in the field, a once runner up (one might say almost-champion) and a race winner with some podiums to his name. Not bad, is it? Compare that to Excelr8, for instance or One Motorsport.

Helps that he seems a nice person as well, offering to give up his car to Cammish for a weekend and getting a replica JST trophy made for Andrew Watson after they tied a few rounds back.

[thetool]

Originally Posted by Mike Harte

I have a sneaky feeling that BTC will return next year replacing One Motorsport.

It's the same thing. One Motorsport was just a re-branding.

If you mean Chris Smiley's part of the previous collaberation under the name BTC Norlin, which was known as "Restart Racing" but has recently re-branded to Chris Smiley Racing - well, yes they have been looking to enter the series. Whether they'll have the money to do so and/or source a TBL is a different matter.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by thetool

It's the same thing. One Motorsport was just a re-branding.

It was intended to be a tongue in cheek comment; I am fully aware that they are, in reality, one (no pun intended) and the same thing.

[Matt K]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Helps that he seems a nice person as well, offering to give up his car to Cammish for a weekend and getting a replica JST trophy made for Andrew Watson after they tied a few rounds back.

Absolutely, didn't know about the trophy thing but yeah, both situations show who he is and create a lot of respect. He doesn't seem a typical "spoilt" team owner's son.

[Evantra]

Originally Posted by Matt K

Absolutely, didn't know about the trophy thing but yeah, both situations show who he is and create a lot of respect. He doesn't seem a typical "spoilt" team owner's son.

There was clip of it on BTCC’s / ITV’s social media as one of the ‘build-up’ videos they post, would’ve been at Silverstone because it also discussed the Valvoline livery.

[sceptic]

Originally Posted by Evantra

Seems like it’d be good fun to actually watch at the track, but it’s hard to get much from it from a few photos posted on social media, especially when it’s mostly the same drivers every time. And as respectfully as possible, when it’s fronted by a backmarking and not-greatly-popular driver, it’s not really going to attract much attention.

It happens right at the end of Saturday, long after the few spectators who go to watch qualifying have left, so it is clearly not being done for the benefit of the fans.

[coffinpilot]

Was reading in Touring Car magazine that Matt Neal confirmed Dynamics had a TCR UK deal fall apart just before the season started.
I wonder if they'd done that if the plan was to have the core of a BTCC team for a 2024 comeback working through the year?

Makes me wonder what will happen next year. The two teams I see discussed as being problematic financially are HARD and One, could Neal and Dynamics pick the bones out of them if they go down?

Also, is the Dynamics cars at One leased to them, or did they buy them?

[antnee]

I really struggle to see a Dynamics return. They were still basically a family team, set up for Matt's racing and the whole family were involved. A lot of their good times were during the years supported by Honda and Halfords. Now Matt has stopped racing, the passing of his father and without the support of Honda & Halfords it is a completely different scenario for them. Add into the mix, that it appears the main race team staff have moved on, it then becomes a very difficult task to get back to where they were. Sad times, but they had a lot of very good years.

[antnee]

Exceler8 have shared the AS article about there being 6 Hyundai's for 2024 (in which they deny it). I wonder if they would be looking to shift on 2 of the older cars to a customer team (BTC?) and have 2 fresh builds for themselves? The Pearson and Halstead cars are in their 4th seasons and Ingram's is in it's 3rd. Chilton's was brand new for this year.

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by coffinpilot

Makes me wonder what will happen next year. The two teams I see discussed as being problematic financially are HARD and One, could Neal and Dynamics pick the bones out of them if they go down?

Dynamics has the same financial issues..

[codename_47]

Originally Posted by coffinpilot

Was reading in Touring Car magazine that Matt Neal confirmed Dynamics had a TCR UK deal fall apart just before the season started.
I wonder if they'd done that if the plan was to have the core of a BTCC team for a 2024 comeback working through the year?

Makes me wonder what will happen next year. The two teams I see discussed as being problematic financially are HARD and One, could Neal and Dynamics pick the bones out of them if they go down?

Also, is the Dynamics cars at One leased to them, or did they buy them?

I really wish teams in the BTCC would stop treating TCR like it's a development series for them

It has bigger desihns than that, and BTCC needs to treat it as such not a friendly 2nd tier league

[thetool]

Originally Posted by codename_47

I really wish teams in the BTCC would stop treating TCR like it's a development series for them

It has bigger desihns than that, and BTCC needs to treat it as such not a friendly 2nd tier league

It's barely even 4th league. Chris Smiley won the championship last year quite comfortably without having done all that much in the BTCC, a sole reverse grid race win at Rockingham years ago. And this year Carl Boardley's dominating whose BTCC record is almost non-existant. It's website looks like it was put together by a GCSE kid on work experience.

[S griffin]

Exactly it’s not really comparable with the BTCC. Although Smiley and Boardley are probably better than their results have shown

[Ant25]

Looks like dynamics could be coming back with Bobby Thompson next season

[Matt_123]

Originally Posted by Ant25

Looks like dynamics could be coming back with Bobby Thompson next season

do we know which car they're using and/or the other driver (probably a pay driver)

[thetool]

Originally Posted by Matt_123

do we know which car they're using and/or the other driver (probably a pay driver)

Every driver is a pay driver.